The Legacy of Spyro
by ChizFri
Summary: A century has passed since The Cleansing, and the Realms have enjoyed peace and prosperity in that time. When a strange illness strikes the dragons of Warfang, Spyro must prepare the next generation of heroes to determine the cause and put an end to it before it's too late.
1. Prologue: Invitation

**Prologue  
**_Invitation_

Wind whipped him around, throwing dust and dirt into his eyes. He could barely see more than silhouettes strewn about. Some were shuttering, some moving quickly, and some lay lifeless in heaps. The smell of ash and char hung in the air, burning his nostrils. Spyro choked on it, feeling it force its way into his lungs. It was impossible, he couldn't do it alone.

"Where is Cynder?" he asked himself, then to the nearest shadow. His only response after a moment of heavy silence was a glint of steel and the sound of wind whistling by a blade.

* * *

"Cynder!" Spyro cried, jolting to attention from his bed. It took him a few moments to realize where he was. Dawn was barely breaking through the window, illuminating the charred ash of the logs he'd burned for warmth the night before. Beside him, curled tightly and breathing slowly, was a sleek black dragoness.

The growing morning light gleamed off the steel choker that clung to her neck, her back gently rising and falling with her breath. Spyro took another moment to inspect her before relaxing.

"Thank goodness you're safe, Cynder," he muttered to himself. He slowly stepped off the bed they shared and made his way for the door, being sure to not step on any of the papers strewn about. With each step, the purple dragon swayed his head, peering at the shelves of scrolls and books, then at the trinkets and gem-studded baubles he and his mate had collected on their journeys, then at an empty net that swayed gently with the breeze. It hung like a hammock, only big enough for an insect to lay in. It had been vacant for so long now that Spyro did not let as little as a sigh escape.

He had grown since his first adventure. His horns brushed the top of the doorway to their cottage overlooking the valley of Avalar. Outside, the scars left by the Cleansing were evident – the land was staggered and broken, the river that once flowed so peacefully now twisted and contorted on itself, and the sky was littered with small landmasses floating by on the winds. It was a reminder of the sacrifices that Spyro had made to save the world. Even so, he relished this view. More than a century had transpired, plenty of time for the world's wounds to heal.

A soft flutter of wings approached from behind Spyro, over his home. He turned to greet the falcon on the roof. Its beak was gilded with a sigil shaped much like a dragon's talon – the symbol of Warfang.

"What message do you bring?" Spyro asked, mindful of his mate still sleeping inside.

"From the Dragon Academy in Warfang, sir. The Headmaster requests your presence." The falcon picked at its feathers for a moment and continued, "Also, from the City Watch. The Commander wishes to speak with Cynder. Both parties expect an immediate response."

This wasn't the first time the Headmaster had asked for Spyro's council – he was a hero, after all. His stories and knowledge were integral in shaping the curriculum of the Academy. Cynder being summoned by the Commander of the City Watch, however. That was different.

"Is something the matter in the city?" Spryo asked before the winged messenger could urge for an answer. "The Commander knows how Cynder feels about his offer. He wouldn't send for her again unless there was trouble."

The falcon coughed, scratching its head with a wing. "I shouldn't say this, but…" It then proceeded to tell the purple dragon about recent troubles and gossip, only mentioning after several minutes that both the Headmaster and Commander had fallen deathly ill. "You are to be named Headmaster of the Academy, and Cynder Commander of the Watch. That is why time is of the absolute essence, sir."

Spyro mulled this new information over, peering into his cottage where his mate was beginning to stir, then back out onto the valley he had grown so accustomed to calling home. After a minute of deep thought, he looked back to the falcon and announced, "I will entertain the Headmaster, and do my best to convince Cynder to extend the Commander the same courtesy. Tell them they can expect us by sundown tomorrow at the earliest."

With that, the falcon nodded and took his leave. Spyro went back inside and relayed the message to the still barely awake dragoness.

"Ill?" Cynder yawned, "That never stopped Terraph before."

"It's apparently deadly, whatever he and Chronos caught. I think we should at least pay them a visit, hear what they have to say, and respectfully decline. Surely there are dragons that live in the city that are better suited for such positions."

Cynder took a moment to think. She never was a morning person, so she had to concentrate more. "I guess you're right. After all, we're retired. Plus, I heard that some of the moles built a new fountain plaza. Elora says it's beautiful at night!"

Spyro wrapped a wing around Cynder and chuckled, nuzzling her muzzle. "That settles it, then. We'll head out at first light tomorrow!"


	2. Chapter 1: Detention

**Chapter 1  
**_Detention_

"Glimmer? Glimmer, are you listening to me?" The headmaster tapped a sharp claw on the ground between them. The young dragon before him jumped to attention.

"What were we talking about?" Glimmer answered. The late afternoon sunlight reflected an amber hue upon her normally white scales.

"I believe you just demonstrated it. You daydream too much, it's becoming a concern for myself and the other Masters." The elder sifted through scrawled notes written on fresh parchment. "Nestor tells me that you once stayed in his classroom for three straight sessions before anyone could break you out of your daze."

Glimmer studied the hole in the floor made by the Headmaster's claw. She couldn't meet his gaze but did offer a small nod.

"Master Zantor wrote, and I quote, 'she is a great student when she is awake, but that's only half the time.' Glimmer, I must know. Where do you go?" The question caused the young dragoness to flinch. She didn't want to admit what she saw during her trances.

"I'm not sure what you mean, sir." Her claw traced along the wood grain, her eyes not rising higher than the other dragon's chest. In her mind, she could hear it – screams and fire, and the crumbling of buildings. She shook her head in an attempt to silence them.

"Glimmer, I can assure you I was not born yesterday. I was your age once, and had seen things worse than any hardships growing up around the gem mines would allow for. I've even had similar trances myself!"

She finally raised her head and looked into the Headmaster's purple eyes. For a moment, she could see deep sorrow behind them. "You have?"

A grin crept across the old dragon's maw. He couldn't help but chuckle. "Of course! I had front row seats to the end of the world! Things like that stick with you."

Glimmer felt a new comfort and was just about to confess her waking nightmares when there was a sharp knock on the door behind her. Behind it, a voice called out.

"Headmaster Spyro! I have an urgent message from the Commander!"

He rolled his eyes, holding one claw up to Glimmer. With clear authority, he responded, "Give me one moment, I'm with a student!"

"I'm afraid time is not a luxury we have, sir."

Spyro groaned and addressed Glimmer once more. "The other Masters and I have deemed it necessary to assign you to detention. You are to meet with Master Cyrus in the observatory after classes end for the next month."

"What will I be doing, sir?" Glimmer didn't particularly enjoy the thought of being stuck with the old crone that was Master Cyrus. Already she could smell the dust on his scales.

"Whatever he asks of you. Surely, he'll find something for you to do. Think of it as an opportunity to refocus. Now go on, he's waiting for you with a couple of more deserving troublemakers."

They both stood, and Spyro walked Glimmer to the door. A mole clad in bronze armor scuttled through at the first crack.

The door shut promptly behind Glimmer once her tail had cleared the opening. She lingered for a moment to try and hear what Spyro and the city guard were talking about, but gave up soon after. Nothing but muddled voices made it through the heavy oak.

The Dragon Academy of Warfang was an old castle situated in the center of the city. Each corner of the campus was marked by a tall rampart, and at the center of the courtyard stood a gilded statue of the Headmaster – Spyro, the Legendary Purple Dragon. Glimmer passed it slowly on her lonely march to the southern tower, which held the Academy's observatory.

She was familiar with the stories of how he and the Commander of the City Guard, Cynder, prevented an event called "The Cleansing." Apparently, an even older purple dragon tried summoning a giant fire god to destroy the world. As the story went, the final battle was waged in the core of the planet as it was breaking apart – a detail Glimmer thought ridiculous.

She was still pondering the possibility of escape from the planet core when she found herself before the unnecessarily large door that led into Master Cyrus's observatory. The depictions of constellations, planets, and moons were well polished. It seemed to Glimmer that being trapped with the old stargazer was a common tactic with the Masters.

Nudging the door open, Glimmer was met with what could only be described as a warzone. Trinkets, tools, and parchments were strewn across the floor, with a young red dragon at the epicenter of it all. Master Cyrus was struggling to clean as another youngling sat in the corner and polished a telescope.

"Excuse me," Glimmer called. "I'm here for detention." She sounded unsure, still processing the circus that played out before her. "Do you need help?"

Master Cyrus shot Glimmer a desperate look and cried out, "What do you think? It's not exactly a conducive environment for reflection and study, now is it! Please, help me put these blasted papers away before hotfoot over here ruins all of my research!"

The game had officially begun for the red whelpling. As Glimmer rushed to aid the old master in collecting the brittle scrolls and worn out tapestries, the troublemaker ran ahead of them and toppled more tables and swiped more artifacts and tools off the shelves. This went on for longer than Glimmer had the patience for.

"Alright, you jerk!" she cried out. "Knock it off before I make you!"

"What are you gonna do, huh?" he laughed back, knocking a seemingly ancient sextant off of a platter. "The great Flare can never be stopped!"

Without answering, Glimmer felt her back teeth freeze over. The air in the room got cold, and fog covered the windows. A single shard of ice shot out of her mouth and struck the red dragon in the side. He fell in a heap, surrounded by frost and papers.

"What was that for?" he cried. His voice trembled from the cold.

"You really want to ask that question after all that?" Master Cyrus panted. "Flare, if Miss Glimmer hadn't stopped you, I'd have to see you off to sanitation duty!"

Glimmer shuddered at the idea of anyone crawling through the sewers. Rumors were that something lived down there, feeding off the filth. She was not in the slightest willing to find out.

While she helped clean up the mess that Flare had made for good, her gaze wandered to the other dragon once again. He was still polishing the same telescope, though from where she stood Glimmer could see no more tarnish.

"Hey, you! Thanks for the help!"

"You're wasting your breath, popsicle, he can't hear you." Flare slowly picked himself off the ground, shaking the last of the ice off his hide. "Every time we come up here Cygnus goes into the same little trance. He won't come out of it until it's time to go home."

"Well, I can guess why you're here, but what's his story?" Glimmer shot a quick look to Cyrus before urging Flare for the answer.

"Me and him got locked up here for the same reason, disturbing class. He just does it in a more artistic way than yours truly." He winked and gently blew fire on himself for warmth. "Where I like showing off my natural talent, Cygnus tries to go for subtle. Unfortunately, since he's the only water dragon in class, his tricks always lead back to him."

"What do you mean by tricks?" Glimmer asked.

Master Cyrus spoke up. "Cygnus's disturbances come from his propensity to entertain himself. Many times, he has been warned about creating streams of water around the room. This is his punishment."

Outside, the town's bell rang to mark the end of the hour. Cygnus stood up, the sudden movement startling Glimmer.

"Master Cygnus, I appreciate the time spent here but-" he started, his voice timid, before another ring of the bell burst through the window, followed by another.

"The alarms!" Cyrus cried out. "Hurry children, go! Get downstairs! Quickly"

It took no more suggestion to send Cygnus and Flare reeling down the stairs, Glimmer lagging behind to catch a glimpse outside. Dark clouds rolled over the city, while the faint scent of something toxic wafted through the air.

When the cloud reached the bell, the ringing stopped.


	3. Chapter 2: The Catacombs

**Chapter 2  
**_The Catacombs  
_

"Go!" Cyrus cried, pushing the young dragons down the stairs. "Go, go! Get to the catacombs!" Glimmer felt a knot twisting itself into her stomach. Outside, the screams of fear from the citizens grew louder as the group descended farther down the tower. When they reached the ground floor, a small group of students lead by Spyro were pushing their way into the tower and down deeper into the twisting hallways.

"You were the only ones here, right?" Spyro asked the other elder, his eyes sweeping across Glimmer's eyes long enough for her to catch a glimpse of concern and fear within.

"Yes, yes. Or, well, I think so?" Cyrus muttered, his eyes jotting around like he was looking for some small flying insect just in front of him. He silently ran through the names and locations of anyone he had met that day. Suddenly, his eyes froze looking dead at the purple dragon, big as moons. "No! There was someone still studying in the lab on the third floor! By the ancestors, I can't believe I forgot about Gladys!"

The smoke outside was working its way across the courtyard. In only a few minutes would it be flooding the entryway they were all standing in. Glimmer saw pain flash across Spyro's face. She knew what he was thinking. There wasn't enough time for any of them to get to the third floor and back. But she might…

"I'll go!" she yelled, already turning to run up the stairs. "I'm really fast!" Just before the two elders were out of sight, she felt a stinging start and the tip of her tail. From there, a buzzing sensation overtook her whole body, propelling her up the stairs faster than she thought she could. Once Glimmer had reached the third floor, she sprinted down the hall, quickly swinging her head to see in each room. As luck would have it, the last room on the right was were a small mole girl was tinkering with beakers and other strange equipment. Without a word Glimmer dashed in, grabbed Gladys by the scruff on her neck, and tossed her onto her back.

Through the window above the stairs, Glimmer saw the smoke consume the statue of Spyro. Her neck tingled and the moisture in the air condensed on her maw as Glimmer laid a thin layer of ice on the floor. Holding her claws up off the floor and ignoring the protests of Gladys, Glimmer skated down the hall at break-neck speed, laying fresh ice as she went. When they reached the stairs, she used their momentum to ride along an ice sheet she blew onto the wall, spiraling down faster than possibly anyone had ever ran down the stairs just below them. As they neared the bottom, Glimmer spread her wings to catch the air, slowing them down enough to not collide with Spyro, who awaited them alone at the entrance of the tower.

"Are you alright?" He asked in a hurry, addressing Glimmer.

"No I am not!" cried Gladys instead. "One minute I'm working on my class experiment, the next I'm being kidnapped by this ruffian!" She went on whining like this for some time, pounding her small fists into the space between Glimmer's wings. Glimmer looked at Spyro and gave him a small nod and a half-grin. Together they rushed down the rest of the many stairs to the basement, which would then lead them to the Catacombs of Warfang.

Glimmer had never been in the Catacombs, despite living in the dragon city her entire life. She expected tight corridors of dragon bones and the smell of rot. She was pleasantly surprised that instead it was a cavernous collection of tombs and tapestry. Many of the important events of Warfang's history were laid out in cloth, protecting the graves of the dragons that fell during that event. A pang shot through Glimmer's heart when she realized that the moles may be chronicling the events of today in cloth soon.

"Master Spyro, what's going on?" She tried her best to sound calm, but Spyro could hear her voice catch when she said his name. "Is everyone in the city going to be okay?"

Spyro heaved a heavy sigh and peered lowered his head to match her height. "I don't know. Captain Cynder sent me a warning that something would happen this morning, but this caught everyone by surprise."

"What is that smoke, anyway?" Flare asked, trotting around Spyro and not even trying to hide the fact that he was eavesdropping. "It's not like it's from a fire."

"No, it's certainly not." Spyro looked around him, ensuring that nobody else would interrupt them. "I'm making my way to the scrying pool deeper into the catacombs. Come with me, and maybe we can find this out together." It was evident to Glimmer the offer was only meant to extend to her, but with the annoying fire dragon beside her trotting along behind Spyro she figured the hint hadn't reached him yet. Gladys hopped off Glimmer's back when they passed a gaggle of other moles, still whining about how "that rude dragon there just snapped her up without warning!"

The trio had been walking for a good few minutes before any of them felt the sense that they were being followed. It was a few minutes more before any of them said anything about it.

"We're not alone down here, are we?" Glimmer was crouched like she was ready to either flee or attack anything that may be in the shadows.

"No, we have to be. This deep into the creepy, dark, scary caves," Flare teased, "who else could possibly be down here with us?" The scream Flare let out when a small blue dragon stepped from the shadows could have woken the dead that surrounded them. Out of instinct, Glimmer spat a small spear of ice in the direction of the intruder. Spyro deflected it with his tail, just in time for everyone else to recognize the newcomer as Cygnus.

"You!" Glimmer screamed, nearly as loud as Flare had. "What are you doing sneaking around like that?" Cygnus gave a small yelp and hid behind Spyro's fore leg.

"I didn't think you wanted to have another person along, but I wanted to know where you were going," he answered in a meek voice. It almost made Glimmer feel bad for raising her voice. "I don't really know any of the dragons that were showing up, and I don't like crowds anyways. I hope it's okay!"

Glimmer rolled her eyes and looked up at Spyro to see him silently chuckling. He placed a large purple paw on Cygnus's shoulder and said, "It is absolutely okay that you join us. I feel much safer know there are three young dragons following me now, instead of just two." Flare started to defend himself, saying he was strong for his age and could fight like at least two of Cygnus, but Spyro had already turned and continued down the path ahead. The area of the Catacombs they were walking through now looked much older than the parts nearest the entrance. The tapestries told stories of a large war, a massive golem destroying what Glimmer assumed to be Warfang over a hundred years ago. Some of the pictures showed what looked like small purple and black dragons fighting against a large purple dragon among floating islands. Without asking, she knew that she was seeing Spyro's story.

"Master Spyro, who is buried down here? In this area, I mean." It took a long moment for him to answer.

"The dragons and moles that were lost during the Cleansing." There was a long pause before he came to a stop. They had made it to the scrying pool they were looking for. At each of the cardinal directions was a large stone monument, each with the carving of an element embedded on the face – fire to the north, ice to the west, electricity to the east, and earth to the south. "And some old friends," the elder finished. The three young dragons watched as their Headmaster paid each grave respect in turn, saying something under his breath to each. Spyro spent the most time at the northern monument, asking his old master for guidance and peering over his should back at Glimmer. "She is young, Ignitus, younger than I was when you found me. Please guide her where I cannot – I fear she'll be adventuring soon enough." He said this quietly enough for the young dragons to not hear him, but Glimmer felt like she knew what he was saying.

Spyro finished talking to the stones and turned his attention to the water in the pool. "Do you three know what this is?"

"It's a scrying pool, isn't it? That thing we walked all this way to see?" Flare asked, clearly annoyed by the question.

"Well, yes, but do you know what it _is_," Spyro reiterated. "This is where only a few dragons can come to get answers. I have one in my chamber, but it's currently unavailable."

Glimmer peered into the pool. The water was nearly opaque, with an eerie blue glow all around it. Her own reflection stared back, slightly distorted by the gentle rotation of the water. "So, I can look into the water and see…what, exactly?"

"Places, dragons, histories – some dragons can even see things that haven't happened yet," Spyro explained. In the light of the pool, he looked like a ghost. For a split second, Glimmer thought she could see another, older dragon standing behind him, this one decorated in ceremonial sashes and carrying a satchel with thick books in it. It disappeared when she blinked, but she told herself it had to have been there. When she tuned Spyro back into her attention, he was explaining how not every dragon could use the scrying pool. "It took me years to understand it, and even now I couldn't call myself a master at divination. I can, however, at least see what's going on above us."

He lowered his head to the water, focusing his attention and energy on each ripple. Glimmer watched as the light in her elder's eyes jumped and faded in a different pattern that what she saw in the water. Across from her, Cygnus was also focused on the pool, muttering to himself about how "it was everywhere." Glimmer looked to the water again, but couldn't see anything more than the blue light. She tried, focusing hard on the waves as they passed her, but to no avail. Whatever the pool was showing Spyro and Cygnus, it was hiding from her. Flare, too, was denied visions, and he instead took to walking around the others, struggling to read the inscriptions on each of the monuments in the dim light of the water.

Glimmer joined the red dragon, using her ice to create a lens between her horns to shine more light on the stone memorials. Each inscription told of the Guardian Dragon of each element – Volteer, Terrador, Cyril, and Ignitus – and of their deeds during the age of the Cleansing, how each helped during the battle of Warfang, and how each of the former three aided in the rebuilding of the city afterwards. On the last monument was an epitaph for the lost guardian. Though he was thought to have died helping Spyro and Cynder get through a giant wall of fire, his body was never found.

Cygnus suddenly screamed, startling both Glimmer and Flare. They found him huddled against Cyril's memorial, but Spyro was nowhere to be found.

"The smoke!" Cygnus cried. "The smoke isn't real! It's magic!"

"Calm down, buddy," Flare whispered, trying to calm the water dragon the best he could. "Take a breath, and tell us what you saw."

Cygnus was shivering, but slowed down and looked Flare in the eyes. "The smoke is magic. It's not from here."

"Okay, we got that. What else was there?" Flare wrapped a wing around Cygnus, motioning for Glimmer to do the same. She took a position beside them and wrapped a wing around Flare's. The warmth from the fire dragon's webbing was comforting for her. She could tell it was helping Cygnus, too.

"Commander Cynder," Cygnus stuttered once he had calmed down enough to speak again. His face was grim, staring at the cold stone in front of them. "She's going to die."


End file.
